Solar

By 2020, the number of households with solar energy systems is expected to reach 4 million. https://t.co/0AOeKojfd5

— RISMedia (@RISMediaUpdates) April 17, 2018

A solar panel is basically a device that enables the collection of and conversion of solar energy into electrical energy or even heat.

The Concept of Solar Panels

Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels and the atoms that are present in these panels are excited by the action of the sun’s energy. These atoms are present in a silicon layer that lies between two panels known as protector panels.

A formation of electric current takes place as a result of the action of the electrons from the aforementioned, excited atoms, and these are then used by a myriad of external devices. The history of solar panels dates back by hundreds of years, when their sole purpose was to heat the water for use in homes.

The History of Solar Panels

Antoine – Cesar – Becquerel, a French physicist, discovered the photovoltaic effect in the year 1839. His experiment in this regard involved the placement of an electrolyte cell in an electrolyte solution; two metal electrodes made up the electrolyte cell.

When this device was exposed to sunlight, Becquerel found that the generation of electricity saw a marked increase. It was in 1883 that Charles Fritts coated sheets of selenium with a thin layer of gold and built the first genuine solar cell.

Over a period of time many experiment were conducted and discoveries were made when it came to solar cells. Albert Einstein also published his thesis on the photoelectric effect, during this time and also won the Nobel Prize for his research.

It was NASA space satellites that made large scale use of solar electrical energy for the first time. By 1980, the United States of America, produced a solar cell which provided an efficiency of nearly twenty percent, this efficiency was increased to around twenty four percent in the next two decades and currently there are a few companies that are manufacturing solar cells that offer efficiency levels of nearly twenty eight percent

The Working of Solar Panels

Pure silicon forms the basic element of all solar panels as its makes for an ideal platform that aids transmission of electrons. This material is used on the plates that form a solar panel. Solar panels are also created by combining silicon panels with other elements, with negative or positive charges.

The Silicon atoms are exposed to the bombardment of photons when negative plates of solar cells are faced towards the sunlight. Once all free electrons are drawn away from the plates, enough electricity is generated to power various electronic appliances that do not require too much electricity to power them.

Features and Types of Solar Panels

Basically there are three types of solar panels, namely mono-crystalline solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, and amorphous solar panels. The life expectancy of solar panels depends on the type of solar panels selected by you; generally it’s around twenty years or so.

Solar panels do not require sustained maintenance for their upkeep although; if lead acid batteries are used then they must be checked every six months and topped up with distilled water if required. If you are looking for a solar panel for your needs and do not know what size to go for, then the best way would be to calculate your average consumption of electricity on a daily basis. This would give you a fair idea of what kind of solar panel to go for. In the long run, solar panels will reduce your electricity bill by a long way, and hence the option of using solar energy must be explored in a positive manner.

What Can Go Wrong With Solar Panels?

Panels are usually warrantied to last 10-25 years.  A 2014 analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the federal government’s renewable energy think tank, found that today’s panels are likely to be producing at more than 90 percent of their original capacity after 20 years. Older studies had put the estimate closer to 80 percent.

Solar Rebates

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: If you’re a customer of LADWP, you’re eligible for a rebate of $0.25/W of installed solar power, which means you could get nearly $1,500 back when you install a standard 6kW system. Like Silicon Valley Power’s incentive, the value of the rebate drops as more people participate in the program.

California has a great Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)offering in many cities and counties known as the Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) Financing Program.

Though there have been some recent state battles involving net metering, this incentive is still available and is undoubtedly one of the biggest reason to go solar in California. In the Golden State, any solar homeowner will receive bill credits for their extra solar power at the retail rate from his or her utility. The capacity limit is 5 percent of aggregate customer peak demand for California’s net metering program – a statewide incentive. Southern California Edison (SCE)

When looking at solar programs on the West Coast, homeowners get the benefit of having access to one of the best renewable initiatives in the United States: the California Solar Initiative. The benefit of this program is simple and direct: income-eligible homeowners can receive cash back in return for installing solar panels on their home.

The California Solar Initiative has funds for both single-family affordable housing (SASH) and multi-family affordable housing (MASH). Rebates can be as high as $10,000, and homeowners must be customers of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) or San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to be eligible. Thanks to the California Solar Initiative, solar is more accessible than ever in California.

Don’t forget about the Federal ITC (solar tax credit)

When focusing on state-specific benefits of going solar, it’s easy to forget about the federal solar incentive that is making solar so appealing to homeowners across the country: the Investment Tax Credit, also known as the ITC. Now that the ITC has been extended through 2021, every homeowner who buys a solar panel system will benefit from a 30 percent discount on top of all additional state rebates and incentives.

Savings data from EnergySage.